Keeping Her Safe
by Madi Taylor
Summary: Damon is so misunderstood. Elena does not want him. Katherine does not want him. He needs someone that needs him as much as he needs them. Could the new girl in town, Arianna Wright, be that girl? Would he be willing to take risks and keep her safe?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! This is my very first Vampire Diaries FanFic! I really enjoy this show soo soooooo much! And I hope that you enjoy this story! First of all, this story is set probably around the beginning of the second season. Just because I haven't yet caught up with the entire season lol and I am a Damon lover 3 He's extremely sexy. I just... yeah. I'm sure you all get it ;) But anyways, I created this story. It's not entirely a Delena story... It's more a Damon story himself. And about this Ari girl. (I added this character.) Anyways, i just hope you enjoy this! I have more to come!**

**Please please please please review and tell me your opinions. I know this is only the first chapter but I have MANY MANY ideas for this! Ideas a lot of you will love. So read it and review and let me know your thoughts! I love to hear them!**

**-Madi :)**

* * *

><p>Chapter One.<p>

Surely, Mystic Falls was named for their mysteries and myths. It's what keeps the town so driven and anticipating the next attack. The people of Mystic Falls are always going to be drawn to the town. Even if they leave, something keeps them from being gone for too long. They will always find their way back.

Something that the citizens of Mystic Falls were not quite used to was new people. Sure, new people moved in all the time. But usually families had a reason that they moved to Mystic Falls. Not just because of their history from back in the 1800s but because of hidden family secrets.

Mystic Falls is a very tiny Virginian town that was filled with _huge_ secrets.

When the Wright family moved in to Mystic Falls, that's when people started to talk. What was their secret? What were they hiding? Who are they? What do they want? Are they relatives to anyone? Do we keep away? Do we be friendly? What kind of people are they? _What _are they?

In fact, the Wright's were actually very harmless. There was the dad, Bryan Wright, who was a writer with very many popular published books out. The oldest daughter, Arianna, picked up her father's hobby and frequently writes short stories, she's a beautiful, outgoing, and friendly girl. Then there was the youngest daughter, Johanna, who is very sporty, like her mother. She too, has a personality much like her older sister. Unfortunately, the Wright daughters did not have a mother. They did, but only till just recently did they lose her which is what urged them to move so quickly.

On Saturday afternoon, Elena Gilbert sat in her home writing a journal entry. Lately, things have been amazing. There was no "vampire drama" for the past couple weeks and her relationship with Stefan has been perfect. For once, things were normal and there were no surprises.

_For now._

Elena had heard noise coming from next door and she had wondered what it had been. She closed her journal, hid it behind the painting above her bed, and went to go check it out putting on a warm jacket since it was cloudy and overcast.

She walked out the front porch to find a moving van in front of house 2105 Maple Street which was right across the street from Elena. She raised an eyebrow trying to get a closer look at who was unloading the van. There was a little blonde girl around the age of twelve with her hair in a pony tail and she was kicking around a soccer ball in the driveway. Standing in the garage was a man with glasses unpacking some boxes. The third girl, coming from out of the moving van had been carrying a box that seemed very heavy. Once she got to the driveway and set the box on the ground taking a short break. She was skinny and had very curly blonde hair that was up in a ponytail. She seemed about Elena's age and she looked like a friendly person. Elena, being the nice neighbor that she is, wanted to go over there to offer her help and welcome them to the town.

"New neighbors, huh," Elena heard the devilish voice from behind her. She rolled her eyes sighing and turning around to face Damon Salvatore. "Well go ahead Elena, be your friendly self."

"You coming?" She asked raising her eyebrows.

"They're not my neighbors," he shrugged along with his usual sexy crooked smile. He looked behind Elena's face and noticed the curly haired blonde watching her younger sister playing soccer. "But I would like to be _friendly_ with her."

Elena scoffed. "Oh god, just stay here okay?"

She left Damon sitting on her front porch and she walked towards the new family. The blonde had noticed her as Elena made her way across the street. She got up and walked up to her. "Hi," Elena grinned. "I'm Elena Gilbert, your neighbor from across the street. I just saw the truck and I figured I would come and introduce myself."

The blonde smiled. Now that Elena had been closer she noticed her features. Her blonde hair was curly; of course, she had bright blue eyes like ocean. She was the perfect height and she had the perfect smile, the perfect skin and perfect body. Everything about her was perfect. This girl was absolutely flawless. "Hi! It's so nice to meet someone! I'm Arianna." She held out her hand to shake Elena's. Her smile was very contagious.

"How old are you? Are you going to Mystic Falls High School? That's where I go. I am a senior." She said as she shook Arianna's hand.

"Yeah actually I am going to go there. I am a senior, too. I start this coming Monday. You can actually call me Ari. It's my nickname. My friends back at home used to call me that." She caught herself, "I mean… my old home."

"I get it," Elena nodded. "Why did you move to Mystic Falls, anyways? We don't usually see new people."

"Oh, why did we move? Uhm, it's a long story. Maybe I can tell you about it another time?" The subject made Ari seem fidgety and uncomfortable. She pulled some of her bangs back and she focused her eyes on Elena's house. She noticed a man standing on the porch. He had pitched black hair and he wore a black V-neck with dark jeans. Something about him gave off a strange vibe to Ari. "Who's that man on your porch?" She raised her eyebrows.

"Oh him?" Elena turned around seeing him as he watched. "That's Damon."

Damon waved at them with his usually smirk. Ari waved back slowly. "Boyfriend?"

Elena laughed. "No, not at all. He's the brother of my boyfriend. Damon and I are just friends."

"Oh, that's cool. Who is your boyfriend? Does he go to our school?" Ari asked as she turned around to make sure that her younger sister, Johanna, was alright and not fooling around.

"Yeah, he does actually. He's really nice. You can come over one night and meet him if you want?" Elena asked. She didn't normally invite strangers to her house. But there was something that she liked about Ari and she was very sweet.

Suddenly, Johanna had kicked the soccer ball too hard and it went into the street. Johanna started to run after but Ari stopped her. "Hey Joey, it's okay. I'll go get it." Ari grunted as she headed towards the street.

Damon Salvatore had been observing the situation. This Arianna girl had been very interesting to him. He had no clue who she was or _what_ she was exactly. But something about her drew him to her. He knew that he must get to know her.

He watched her as she walked into the street grabbing the soccer ball. Suddenly, Damon spotted a car speeding down the street right towards Ari. His eyes went wide and he ran extremely fast to get to the side. "ARI WATCH OUT!" Elena's voice shouted. Just as the speeding car was almost about to touch her, Damon scooped her up in his arms and they landed in the grass of her front lawn.

Ari was unable to comprehend what exactly just happened. Her breathing was heavy and all she could think of was the man that was holding her in a tight embrace – the man that had saved her _life._ It was the guy she had seen on Elena's porch. But how did he get there so quickly?

The both of them sat up from the ground, Damon still holding onto her making sure she was okay to hold herself up. Ari looked into Damon's eyes. "T-thank you, so much," she stuttered trying to make sense. She pulled Damon into a hug and he felt confused about it. He didn't hug her back – he wasn't exactly quiet sure how to react to her.

"Oh, no problem," he shrugged with his usual sexy smirk.

Everyone ran up to them quickly. "Oh my gosh, Ari," Elena said, tucking the hair in her face behind her ear. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, of course," she smiled. Ari had made eye contact with Damon – a contact that she didn't want to break. "I'm okay now."

Elena helped her to her feet making sure that she was alright. Ari had stood just fine. She noticed that she still had the soccer ball in her arms. She chuckled, "Here's your ball Joey. If I were you, I'd go play in the back yard."

"Good idea," Johanna mumbled feeling guilty as she ran inside through the front door.

"Look, Ari, why don't you stop by around five o'clock? We can go into town and I'll show you around. Maybe we can go eat at the Mystic Grill and you can meet some of my friends?" Elena offered with a friendly grin.

"Elena, I would love that. Thank you!" The two of the girls hugged and Damon stood there awkwardly with his arms folded.

"Alright then, I guess I'll see you tonight!" Elena had left it at that starting to back across the street when she noticed Damon hadn't been following her.

Ari turned to face him again. "Thank's… um," she had forgotten his name already.

"Damon," he chuckled.

"Yes! Thank you, again, Damon. It meant a lot," Ari flashed him a cute smile. "I'll see you around." She stated it like a question. She had wanted to see him tonight and she had hoped that Damon wanted to see her, too.

Damon put on his crooked grin, "I sure hope so."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello everyone! Here is the second chapter! I really hope that you guys are starting to enjoy this story. I really like writing it. There's more to come! Keep the reviews coming! (:**

**-Madi3**

* * *

><p>Chapter Two.<p>

Arianna Wright was in her brand new bathroom finishing up her makeup. She was really excited to get to hang out with Elena. Who wouldn't be? It's her first day in a new town and she was already being invited to hang out?

Ari was very good at telling what type of person somebody was just by looking at them. I mean, she knew the term 'Don't judge a book by its cover' but sometimes it is necessary. To her, Elena seemed like the popular one of her friends. The type that guys usually favored. She was absolutely gorgeous which gave away most of it. But Elena was also very kind and sweet. She offered to help unpack her family's things and she invited Ari over twice. She's only known her for about four hours but she could already tell that they were going to be close friends and she really looked forward to that.

All Ari could think about was Damon. She wanted to know him so bad. Something about him seemed like she needed to be around him. When he saved her it was as if they had some sort of connection. She longed for his arms to be around her just once more. They way he held her tight making sure that she was still safe. But the real question was: could she _trust_ Damon?

"Knock, knock," Ari turned to find her dad standing in the doorway leaning against the frame. "You're going somewhere already?"

Ari nodded. "Yeah, um, I actually met our neighbor, Elena Gilbert. She's my age, too, and goes to Mystic Falls High. She asked if I wanted to meet some of her friends and said she would show me around." She finished applying the finishing touch of her makeup which was her rose colored blush. She double checked her hair making sure her natural waves were all in their place and then looked at her father for the approval.

"You look fine. Don't stay out too late, okay?" His arms were folded and he took a good look at his teenage daughter. He sighed, "You grew up to fast. Where did my little girl go?"

She flashed a crooked smile and went to over to embrace him. "I am still here, Dad. I'll always be your little girl. And don't forget you have another daughter, too!"

"I love you both so much." He grinned placing a gentle kiss on top of Arianna's forehead. "Speaking of the other daughter… I just heard from your sister about the incident earlier today! Sweetie, are you okay? Are you hurt at all? Who was the man that saved you? Johanna described him as _strange_."

Arianna giggled rolling her eyes. She stepped back turning in a circle showing her harmless body. "Dad, I'm fine! Not a scratch on me!" Her mind went back to Damon. "And the guy wasn't weird. He was actually very nice, though he didn't say much. And he saved me! So I really appreciate it and I hope you do, too."

"He's not trying to get money off of us is he?" Ari's dad was a semi-famous writer that got a lot of money from his books. His best were usually fantasy novels. He wrote a lot of twisted folktale stories that were very popular in the teen world.

"No, Dad. His name is Damon. He's a bit mysterious I guess," Ari shrugged her shoulders, smiling to herself. "That's all I know."

Her father scoffed. "Okay then. I'm not a boy talker. That's your mother's job." He chuckled a bit until he caught himself. He stopped and became silent for a moment. He caught eyes with Ari who shared an apologetic smile. He didn't know what words to say so he just decided to end the conversation completely. "Be careful tonight alright? I want you home by midnight."

"Okay, Dad. I love you."

"Love you too, sweetheart."

Arianna tried to block out thoughts about her mother. Not wanting to remind herself about her mother's horrible death. So she walked back to her room grabbing her bag and cell phone. She double checked herself in the mirror to make sure she looked good enough and she left the house.

Elena had just finished straightening her hair once she heard the doorbell ring. She ran down the stairs and opened the door. She was happy to see Ari's face. "Hey! It's so great to see you!"

"Good to see you too! Thanks again for inviting me to hang out. I really appreciate it." Ari showed a very ecstatic grin and Elena could tell that she was excited to know someone in this town.

"Oh no problem! I told my friends all about you and they're really excited to meet you." Elena smiled. She realized that they were still standing in the doorway.

"That's great! Would you like me to come in? Or should we just go now?" Ari raised her eyebrows pointing out to what she believed was Elena's red mini cooper out in the driveway.

Elena looked down at Ari's feet that were still on the porch side of the door. "No!" Elena blurted out quickly. She noticed the reaction on Ari's face and she took it back. "I mean, uh, how about I just go get my jacket and I'll meet you by the car, okay?"

"Alright," Ari smiled walking down towards the driveway.

Elena closed her eyes taking in a deep breath. _She's not a vampire_, Elena thought, _there is no way she could possibly be one_.

She reached to grab her jacket hanging on the staircase railing and put it on. Before walking out she pulled out her phone in her pocket and texted her boyfriend, Stefan. Elena wasn't going to take any chances with any more vampires.

Stefan Salvatore sat in the family room. It was Saturday night and he had no plans. He would be out with Elena but he knew that she was out with friends tonight and he didn't want to keep her from having fun with them. Stefan was anything but the clingy boyfriend type. He actually respected the space between him and Elena. But he was still always looking after her and keeping her safe.

"Looks like it's just you and me, brotha," Damon walked into the room immediately walking over to the 'alcohol station'. "What? No plans with your girl?"

"Not tonight," Stefan sighed. "I am all yours."

"OH perfect!" Damon shouted all giddy with excited. He plopped down on the couch beside Stefan. "Because I have the whole night planned out for us! I thought we would watch scary movies, eat popcorn, talk about our feelings, and then we could snuggle. Doesn't that sound like fun, Stefan?" Of course, Damon was being his usual sarcastic self.

Stefan sighed looking down at his cup of rabbit blood. He took a sip of it. "I'm good, Damon. But, uh, feel free to 'snuggle' with yourself."

Damon chuckled. "Well fine then, maybe I will. Or I could go and find someone that actually wants to snuggle with me. Didn't you hear? I'm the Mystic Falls top bachelor now. All the women are dying to get with me and 'snuggle'." He winked.

Stefan just rolled his eyes away from his obnoxious brother. "Have with that."

It was quiet for a moment as Damon sipped his whiskey and Stefan drank his rabbit blood. "So," Damon broke the silence. "How is the Stefan Diet going? Haven't lost control yet?" Damon looked at Stefan moving his eyes trying to get the dirt from his brother.

"It's fine, Damon, not like you would ever actually care." Stefan snapped.

"Ouch!" Damon pressed his hand to his heart and pulled his head back. "You know, I am _really _offended!" Stefan didn't bother to reply. "Anyways, so I was over at Elena's today and-" Stefan turned giving him a glare. He didn't like his jackass of a brother being around his girlfriend. "Ah, now I have your attention," Damon winked. "I was at Elena's and apparently there's a new girl in town."

"I know, Elena told me over the phone. Her name is like Aria or something?" Stefan said, trying to remember what Elena had told him earlier.

"Her name is Arianna, Stefan. And I must say… she is quite the beauty. I'm sure Elena told you about what I did," Damon smirked making it very obvious that he was 'trying not to brag'. Stefan shrugged his shoulders not knowing what he was talking about. "Damn… Elena really must not like me. Well! Arianna ran into the middle of the street to get some soccer ball that her dumb little sister kicked into the road. And all the sudden this truck comes speeding down the road! So, I just put two and two together realizing that if I just let it happen, it would not end up very good! In fact, it would've ended up in blood and guts. So, I ran into the street with my super vampire speed and saved her like a gentleman would."

Stefan was taken back realizing that Damon actually saved a life instead of ending one which was his usual routine. "Wow, Damon, you have really outgrown yourself. I'm proud of you." Hint the sarcasm.

"Thanks, brother! You know, now that it happened," Damon stood up walking around taking another sip of the alcohol in his hand. "I'm kind of interested in this girl. Weird, huh? I mean I'm not gonna go writing her name on my binder or anything foolish like that. I'm just curious of this girl. I want to get to know her. She's just… hmm what is the word? _Different_."

Stefan laughed, "Different? This girl is _different_?"

"Yeah," Damon was playing with his brother's mind. "Don't act so surprise. I know what you were thinking when you met Elena. I bet you thought she was different from Katherine, right?" Damon stopped chuckling to himself before he spoke again. "Oh wait. That's not possible because, um, they're identical!"

Stefan got angry and ran up to Damon. He knocked the glass out of his hand instantly breaking it. He put the length of his arm against Damon's throat pushing him against the wall so he couldn't move. Stefan glared into his brother's blue eyes while Damon just smiled devilishly.

Interrupting, Stefan's phone went off.

"You gonna answer that?" Damon lifted his eyebrows up and down smirking again.

He pushed Damon off to the side rolling his eyes as he checked his phone. Damon got down on the floor to pick up the broken glass.

Stefan had a text message from Elena. He opened it immediately to make sure everything was okay and that she was safe. He read the text: "Stefan, I need you at the grill tonight. I'm not taking any chances with Ari. I just want to be sure she won't be what I hope she isn't."

Stefan gulped and could not even imagine anymore vampires being in Mystic Falls. He and Damon were enough. But he didn't want Elena by herself even if she did keep the vervain around her neck. It still wasn't enough protection. He grabbed his jacket and started his way towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Damon asked, being nosy.

"To the grill. Elena might be in danger." Stefan didn't look back to his brother.

Damon, being silly, tried mimicking a crazy parent. "Okay honey, be home by midnight okay? Don't forget about your curfew sweetie!" But all Damon heard was the door slam as he spoke. "Rude," He scoffed.

Then, Damon specifically remembered that Elena had invited Arianna to the grill. If Elena was possibly in danger that could mean so was Arianna. He wasn't going to risk anything and put Arianna in danger on her first night.

Damon stood up putting his jacket on and headed out. "Well, looks like I'm going out tonight, too." Damon smirked.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello readers(: I hope you really enjoy this chapter! I still haven't gotten many reviews. I really appreciate reviews so I can be motivated to write more. And also I like reading what you have to say (: Feel free to critique and let me know what you would like to see happen next in the story! who knows, maybe your idea will be in my story? (I will give credit) Please review and let me know your ideas because I would love to hear them!**

**-Madi :D**

* * *

><p>Chapter Three.<p>

Arianna had noticed how oddly quiet it was while Elena and her drove to the grill. She could see how tense Elena was while she drove. Her hands were tightly holding onto the steering wheel and she was clenching her jaw. To make it seem less awkward for Arianna she continuously played with her cell phone on her lap.

Every now and then Ari would look out the window to look at the houses and the shops of the new town she lived in. They passed by her new high school and she noticed how small it was compared to her old one when she lived in the city. Mystic Falls was actually nothing compared to where she used to live. It sure was definitely a lot smaller and there were trees almost everywhere she looked.

Arianna looked back at Elena to make sure everything was okay but she looked the same as before. She decided it was time to say something. "Elena," Ari said making Elena jump up swerving the car a little. Luckily there was no one else on the road. "Are you okay? You're so tense. Is there something wrong?"

Elena glanced at Ari. All she could picture in her mind was Arianna biting her in the neck sucking all the blood out of her and she wasn't quite sure if she was even a vampire or not! Elena wasn't going to take any chances though. She grabbed the necklace on her neck comforting her. "Yeah, everything is fine. Sorry, I'm just a bit weird when I'm driving. I tend to get so focused you know. It's just so hard to see in the dark."

"Oh yeah, I always hate that. I'm not used to it being so dark. Don't tell anyone, but I'm actually afraid of the dark. But here, you can literally see every star in the sky. It's so beautiful," Arianna grinned happily.

Elena chuckled, "Yeah, well when you live here your whole life I guess you get used to it. Where are you from anyways? The city?"

"Yeah, actually, I am. I'm from Richmond – the capital. We didn't switch states, but it's always good to be somewhere new, you know?" Ari shrugged smiling to herself.

"Yeah I get it," Elena replied. It still wasn't enough though. She needed more information on her. She needed to know if she was a vampire. Elena thought that maybe she should try to figure out her weakness. "What about your parents? I know your dad is a writer and all that. What does your mom do?"

Ari began feeling uncomfortable and she bit her lip. "Um, yeah my dad is a writer. My mom, though, she isn't with us."

"Oh so your parents are divorced?" Elena asked raising an eyebrow.

Arianna shook her head and spoke trying to maintain her emotions. "No they're not. They were happily married… until my mother died."

Elena then felt guilty for asking. If there was anything she understood it was that. Elena had lost both of her parents and even now it still gets to her. "Oh my gosh, Arianna I'm so sorry. You know, that's my fault. I shouldn't have asked."

"No, no, it's okay. I'm alright with it. My dad always says that I could pass for her twin. I guess I just got more of her traits because he says that I look _exactly like her. _It's been really hard ever since what happened so I just remember the good stuff. Our family has been pulling through." Elena could tell that she was trying to reassure herself by breathing deeper. "Except for my dad – he's been a bit strange lately."

"He's been strange?"

"Yeah, he won't talk about my mom's death at all. I don't know how it happened. He just says there was some type of incident. He's been really distant, too. I guess the way he deals with it is by keeping things to his self," she shrugged.

"Maybe try talking to him about it? Get him alone and see if he will talk to you about what happened. It's not good to keep things inside for so long. You've got to tell someone eventually," Elena suggested while pulling in to a parking spot in front of the Grill.

Arianna nodded, "You know I think I will. Thank you Elena! Is this it?" She pointed at the Grill behind them.

"Yes it is," she smiled and they both got out of the car walking towards the entrance. When they walked inside Elena looked around to see if she could spot Stefan anywhere in the room but he was nowhere in sight. He must of not been there yet. She scanned the rest of the room to see if she could spot any of her other friends. That's when she saw Caroline and Bonnie sitting as Matt _cleaned _the table striking a conversation with them. "And over there would be my friends. Come on, I'll introduce you."

She linked arms with Arianna and they headed over to the table. "Hey guys, this is Arianna Wright. She just moved here."

"Hi there," Matt flashed a smile with a slight wave. Arianna waved back not realizing how many attractive guys lived in Mystic Falls. "Where you from, Ari?"

"Richmond."

"Ah, so you're a city girl," he grinned taking one better look at Arianna before he went back to bussing tables. Ari certainly did not mind. He flipped the wet towel over his shoulder and picked up the box of plates and glasses and silver wear. "I get off my shift in a few, so I'll come back and sit in about ten to fifteen minutes." He started to leave but he turned back around. "Oh yeah, and it was _very _nice meeting you Ari."

Caroline stood up seeming a bit annoyed. "Hi, I'm Caroline," she grinned shaking Ari's hand. "And FYI, Matt is my ex."

Arianna's smile faded and she shook her head. "Oh I wasn't really intending on-"

"Don't worry about it," Elena interrupted glaring at Caroline as she sat down.

It was Bonnie's turn to stand up and shake hands with Arianna. This time Elena watched carefully. Bonnie, because she was a witch, could sense vampires just by touching them. If Bonnie felt something by touching her than that would mean Arianna would be a vampire.

"Hi," Bonnie waved reaching out her hand. "I'm Bonnie. It's really nice to meet you."

But when they shook hands, nothing happened. It was just a normal hand shake. Elena let out a sigh of relief. _Oh thank God_, Elena thought.

"So Arianna Wright?" Bonnie mentioned. "Are you related to Bryan Wright? I read this one series not too long ago called Once Upon a Nightmare. Did your dad write those?"

"Yeah, that would be my father. You know he started that series because I guess I used to wake up in the middle of the night with these strange dreams. Then I would tell him about them and he would turn them into a story. We didn't realize that they would actually get published," Arianna chuckled.

The rest of the girls' chimed in. "That's so interesting! Could your dad sign those books for me? I absolutely love the series!" Bonnie asked.

"Oh yeah, no problem, he would love that," Arianna smiled. "I'll have you over sometime."

"Hello ladies," a male voice was heard from behind their table. They turned their heads to see a man behind Elena's chair. He was tall and pale looking with dark brown hair. He was also, of course, very attractive like pretty much every male in this town.

"Stefan," Elena looked up placing a small kiss on his lips. Arianna had assumed that he was the boyfriend she was speaking of earlier… Damon's brother.

"Sorry, I'm interrupting. I didn't mean to do that. I can just go play pool or something," he shrugged walking away. After Bonnie not wanting to be around vampires, he assumed that he wasn't wanted at the table.

"No," Bonnie said. "You should stay Stefan."

"Really, Bonnie?" Elena raised her eyebrow.

"Yeah," she grinned but then it turned to the glare. "It's your brother that I don't trust."

Stefan chuckled and took a seat in between Caroline and Elena. "Well, I can understand why you think that," he nodded.

Arianna was completely confused. "I am totally lost right now," she mentioned.

They all turned their heads to Ari who felt awkward. "Oh, it's nothing," Elena insisted shrugging her shoulders.

"Wow, Stefan, surrounded by a table of beautiful ladies," there was that voice again. The voice everyone dreaded hearing.

They all let out groans except for Arianna. Turning around they say Damon pulling up a chair between Bonnie and Ari. Bonnie sneered trying to keep as much distance as possible. "Speaking of the devil," Stefan said to us at the table. Then he turned to his brother, "Damon, I thought you were staying at home," Stefan bickered.

"Now why would I do that when I could come to the Grill and be with some good _friends_," he emphasized the last part glaring at Elena. She looked away hiding her face from him.

He and Stefan held each other's glares. "Damon, go get something we can all eat, will you?"

"Fine." He grinned leaving the table quickly.

Arianna did not understand what all the tension was about. "Is there something that I am missing here?" But they ignored her by trying to bring up a more interesting conversation.

"So what's it like being here at Mystic Falls for you so far?" Caroline asked. She and Bonnie both listened interested in what Arianna was saying.

As for Elena and Stefan, they began to have their own side conversation in a quiet whisper. "Stefan, can you tell me why you brought Damon along? You know no one likes him."

Stefan watched and noticed that he was still ordering the food at the bar. "I didn't. I guess he just followed me here or something. We got in a fight – but before it actually got _bad_, you texted me."

Elena rolled her eyes and put on the sarcasm, "Well I'm so glad to come between you guys again."

He rubbed the back of his hand on her cheek. "It has nothing to do with you. You should know that by now. It's just a little bit of sibling rivalry." He shrugged his shoulders. "I was worried about you though. Your text seemed urgent."

"Sorry about that. Bonnie cleared that up for me. I just, uh, thought that maybe she was a vampire. You can never be so sure, you know. I just wanted you to be here just in case something happened. But there is a lot of weird background I'm kind of interested in learning. Like there's more to her than it looks." She glanced at Arianna quickly and then back to Stefan.

"What do you mean by that? What kind of stuff?"

"Her mom died I guess. She doesn't like talking about it, I can tell. She doesn't know how she died because her dad is really butt-hurt about it. I think they moved because of her death," Elena showed a half-smile not knowing how exactly to feel for Arianna. "Her dad is apparently really distant and keeps things to himself. I don't understand, Stefan. I just want to know what is so different about her. I've barely known her for twenty-four hours and already I'm so suspicious of her."

Damon came back to the table with a bowl of chili cheese fries. "Dig in, my friends!" Everybody went in to grab some food except for Stefan and Elena who were glaring at Damon. "Arianna, are you _sure_ that we haven't met before?"

Ari looked up raising her eyebrow. "Um no, I don't believe so," she shrugged shaking her head. "Why do you ask?"

Damon eyed her carefully trying to think. "Hmm… I don't know. It's just that could have sworn that I've crossed paths with you before or someone that resembles you very well. I distinctly remember it. Either that or _you just look exactly like her._"

Elena's eyes went wide, not believing what she had just heard come out of Damon's mouth. She specifically remembered the conversation her and Arianna had in the car about her mother looking just like her. They spoke of how she didn't know the death of her mother and that her father didn't like to talk about it. What did this all mean?

_Did Damon kill Arianna's mother?_


End file.
